Motivated by the search for “God, Gold, and Glory” in the West and “Christians and Spices” in the East, the era between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries is characterized by European exploration and discovery. While in Southeast Asia this exploration was primarily illustrated by the spice trade, in the America’s European exploration allowed for the creation and domination of a new world. Driven by these aims, several western European countries were able to gain control or influence over widening segments of the globe throughout the Early Modern Era both politically and economically. As a result of this age of European exploration and conquest, Europeans not only united the old and new worlds, but they also gradually brought various
